"Senpai, pleeease, just say yes, okay?"
"Sit properly."
Taking a deep breath, Hikigaya spoke firmly to Isshiki.
Other than his little sister, no girl had ever sat on his back — and now it was Isshiki Iroha. There was this odd, indescribable feeling bubbling up inside him.
Stay calm, Hikigaya. Just treat her like your little sister. That's all.
"Senpai, your face is all red. Are you embarrassed?"
Isshiki blinked at him, grinning. "Heehee, well, I am a gorgeous girl sitting on your back."
"..."
Hikigaya ignored her, doing his best to tune her out.
"Heehee~ Am I the first person to ever sit on your back? Hmm… has Yukino-senpai ever sat on your back like this?"
"Yukinon hasn't. Komachi has."
"Huh?!"
Isshiki's eyes widened in shock.
"Yukino-senpai hasn't?? But Komachi has?? Ugh… I knew it! Senpai, you're a total siscon. You love your little sister way too much!"
"I had my reasons for letting Komachi sit on my back."
Hikigaya spoke calmly, face not even twitching.
"Oh? I have to hear this."
"It was for doing push-ups."
"Push-ups?"
Isshiki tilted her head.
"What, you mean Komachi sat on your back, and you just started exercising like that?"
"You're surprisingly sharp."
"Heehee, I've always been sharp."
Isshiki giggled, then added, "But Senpai, you look so skinny — can you really handle it?"
"Are you underestimating me?"
"Senpai's always been a weakling, right? Weakling Senpai, weakling Senpai~"
"You little…"
Hearing Isshiki belittle him so openly made Hikigaya frown. Naturally, he wasn't too thrilled about that.
"If you think I can't do it, then watch me."
"You said it~"
Taking another deep breath, Hikigaya kept his cool.
"You're really going to start?"
"Then hold on tight."
"Eh? Ah?!"
Before Isshiki could react, Hikigaya immediately shifted his posture, moving into a push-up stance. The sudden movement nearly tossed Isshiki off his back, and she had to grab his shirt tightly just to stay on.
"S-Senpai, why are you in such a rush? Are you really that desperate to prove… uwaa!"
The next second, Hikigaya completely ignored her chatter and began doing push-ups without hesitation.
One. Two…
Even with Isshiki on his back, Hikigaya moved smoothly, not breaking a sweat.
Isshiki watched, eyes wide, mouth forming a perfect "O."
"A-amazing… Senpai, you're… you're this strong?!"
"Huff… huff…"
Without replying, Hikigaya kept going.
"Thirty-two… thirty-three…"
The more Isshiki watched, the more shocked she felt, her heart thumping faster and faster.
"S-Senpai, is your body… are you sure you can handle this?"
"I'm fine."
"Wait… is it because I'm sitting on your back that you've awakened some hidden power? Senpai, is that it?"
"..."
"Senpai, y-your physical condition is insane! Ugh… I can't even imagine how happy Yukino-senpai's going to be in the future… oh my god, she's probably going to be so blissed out she might die from happiness!"
There's no woman who doesn't care about her man's physical strength.
And this level of fitness — it was the kind that made girls drool.
"What's wrong? Getting interested now?"
Hikigaya's voice stayed calm.
"Too bad. I already have a girlfriend. So… sorry, Isshiki-san."
"Y-you…!"
Isshiki was so mad she was grinding her teeth — wasn't that supposed to be her line?!
"Hmph~ You're just some measly senpai, okay? I'm not interested at all! I don't like strong guys, not even a little bit!"
"Then why are you staring at my body? And… why has your hand been running up and down my back this whole time?"
"Eh?"
Isshiki's face flushed bright red. She hurriedly explained, "I-I was just trying to hold on, okay? I wasn't touching your muscles or anything! I wasn't—!"
Yeah, sure. Turns out girls, deep down, are just like boys — they love eyeing up the other person's body.
"I'm done with the push-ups. Can you get off now?"
Hikigaya asked.
"No problem, but…"
Isshiki grinned mischievously.
"I still want to touch you with my foot… just once, okay? Pretty please, Senpai? Don't worry, don't worry, if you let me, I'll let you go right away~"
"..."
Hikigaya fell silent for a few seconds, then asked:
"You want to step on my face?"
"I'm not that cruel! Just your shoulder, okay? Boys' shoulders are nice and broad, they should be fine, right?"
"…Fine, hurry up. I still have to go study."
Hikigaya gave in.
He understood that unless he humored some of her ridiculous requests, this girl would never let him go easily.
"Alright, alright!"
Isshiki was brimming with excitement.
"I'll just take off my shoes first~!"
"Are you trying to suffocate me with the smell?"
"Rude~ Beautiful girls' little feet always smell sweet!"
Isshiki shot him a glare, then started taking off her shoes.
And then…
A pair of small, pale feet appeared before Hikigaya's eyes.
"Smells like sweat."
"No way! There's no odor! Senpai, I'm giving you one last chance!"
"Hmm, floral and sweet, makes you want to kiss them."
"S-s-senpai, are you… are you a foot fetishist?!"
Isshiki's face instantly turned beet red, flustered by his words.
"Didn't you want me to compliment them?"
"Ugh, you pervy Senpai~! You say my little feet stink, but secretly you just want to kiss them, don't you? Heehee~"
"... If you're going to do it, hurry up. I told you, I need to study."
"Okay, okay~ don't rush~"
Seeing Hikigaya's growing impatience, Isshiki giggled and slowly lifted her delicate foot, pressing it onto his shoulder.
Hikigaya hesitated for a few seconds, but didn't resist.
Strangely enough…
It didn't really bother him.
Maybe he was just too indulgent toward Isshiki.
Yeah, honestly, he'd always treated Isshiki like a bigger version of Komachi — or rather, a stand-in.
"Heehee~ Now, surrender to me completely, Senpai~! Bow down before my skirt, and obey my every command~!"
Isshiki laughed gleefully.
"..."
Hikigaya muttered blankly:
"Did you just unlock some dangerous personality trait?"
"I don't know, but right now I really want to stuff my little foot into your mouth. What do you think, Senpai? Would that be okay?"
"???"
Hey, hey, hey! This is getting way out of hand!
Looks like this girl's not someone you can spoil too much…!